All We've Been Through
by Illusive Writings
Summary: Spin off/prequel to Last Of The Runawaysl. Ferus Olin is a bored Inquisitor, secretly working for the Rebel Alliance. Until during a job he meets Jane Kobb, an undercover cop, and his life is turned inside out. But something goes wrong and they're pulled apart and end up hating each other. What really happened between those two? Now rated M.
1. The Midnight Traffic In Her Eyes

_Quick intro: this is a tie in to Last Of The Runaways. I was driving and suddenly this whole story comes up in my mind and I couldn't stop it, I had to write it. This is what happened between Jane and Ferus, how they ended up to hate each other, and yet loving each other more than anything else. I admit it, I partially based the characters off Castle and Beckett from Castle, even if Jane gets her name from Jayne Cobb, AKA The Hero Of Canton, from Firefly. This story is probably the closest thing I'll ever write about Castle. It's not a Castle fanfiction, I was just inspired by some stuff of the series to write some tiny details of this story. And yes, I based off Stana Katic the whole look of Jane. I'm not ashamed of that. She's gorgeous, what can I do?_

_It's gonna be a bit dramatic, because you know I have a sweet tooth for torturing characters. Things may also get a little bit spicy after this chapter, so the rating may change. Keep an eye on that. Have fun!_

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**Chapter 1 - The Midnight Traffic In Her Eyes**

Boredom was a nasty bitch to beat. Evil, sometimes.

When coupled with a last minute assignment from his boss while all he was looking for the week end was some nice R&R in his apartment, catching up with holoshows he had missed during the week and that nice limmie game planned on the sports channel, for which he had already prepared with tons of beer and junk food, well, boredom could be a killer.

Or transform him in a killer, even though, considering his job, he truly had a license to kill, which made him already a killer.

Not that he had ever killed anyone because of the job, that should be clear. He had killed more people when he was a student for the Jedi Order. Just one or two since he had joined the ranks of the Inquisitors, six years before.

But then his boss had come through the door of his office, asking him if he owned a formal suit and knew how to behave at a high society fundraising party. He had looked up from the reports he was reading (technically, yes, he bore the title of Inquisitor, but he was pretty much bound to the desk, considering his great ability at tracking and finding people from the electronic traces they left behind) and sincerely replied that yes, be owned a formal suit and knew how to behave with high society people. He didn't know the real motive behind those questions was tearing him away from his plans and sending him to this damn party for a covert operation with the local police.

Well, only after he had thrown him a datapad filled with more than one thousand pages of reports on the case: a reportedly Force Sensitive man, not trained in the ways of the Force but well aware of his abilities, that "forced" his way on women and turned them into prostitutes for rich clients.

He had heard about that in the news, but no official statement had come to the Inquisitors office and no investigation had begun, since the Coronet Police was already working on it, but apparently they had decided to go undercover at this party to try and catch him. They just needed someone who could mingle and protect their agent from the influence of the Force user, possibly being able to identify him.

After a quick round in the office, his boss, a very capable man that run the "Trace&Destroy" (as it was called) section like a General would run an army, had gone straight to him, knowing he was one of his best agents and that his previews training with the Jedi, though incomplete, would have helped them framing a nasty criminal.

Because using the Force was a crime, except if you were authorized, like the Inquisitors. Force Sensitive citizens of the Empire that used that gift, even unconsciously, were rounded up and incarcerated for two years, during which they were taught how to suppress it and released. Those who consciously used the Force to commit crimes were usually killed on sight.

So, there he was, Ferus Olin, one of the few that ever left the Jedi Order, now an agent of the Empire, sitting on a stool at the bar of the immense dance hall in uptown Coronet City, with people showing off their new designer dress or their jewels, sipping on his second drink, eyes pointed at the main door, waiting for this unknown police agent from Vice department to show up.

And being bored to death by the random bits of discussions that filled his ears when people stationed beside him while waiting for their drinks, as the barmen worked their ass off to fulfill their requests. All he could think about in that moment, as he glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time, was that limmie game he was missing on the holosports channel, the amount of beer he could have drunk by that hour at his own place instead of some fancy whiskey at that damn bar with unknown people all around him, and how comfortable he would have been dressed in a plain t-shirt and sweats instead of that suit he hadn't used in ages and that was a bit too tight on the shoulders. He had been working out a lot lately and he didn't wear the same size anymore. Also, the tie was killing him. Since he had abandoned the Jedi Order, he had also abandoned the strict dress code that came with that, allowing himself to get used to more... comfortable clothes. Even if sometimes he missed the simplicity of the Jedi robe.

"Want a refill?" the barman's question pulled him out of his stream of consciousness.

Ferus shook his head. "No thank you. I'm waiting for someone and if I go straight on this path I'll be drunk by the time she's here."

"Have a date?"

"Nope. Job meeting. I could go for something non-alcoholic, what can you offer?"

The young barman smiled. "We have an infinite selection of soft drink and non alcoholic cocktails, what do you prefer? Sweet and fruity or you're more of a sour type?"

"You got me there pal. I go for bitter, but avoid anything with fruit. I prefer fresh fruit to chemical-filled juices you use here."

He nodded. "Good to go sir. A Virgin Coruscant Lava Flow coming." he said pulling a tumbler and the shaker from the counter. He started mixing the concoction in front of him, added ground ice to the bright orange mix, closed the lid and gave it a nice shake, then poured it all in the glass, added a couple of leaves of mint, a fresh slice of orange on the brim and a straw. "There you go. No alcohol, I swear, but I took the liberty to use fresh orange juice, hope you won't be disappointed."

Ferus grabbed the cool glass and raised it. "Thanks pal." he took a sip and as soon as the cold liquid hit his tongue, he knew that guy knew how to make drinks. "That's good. Have a good night."

"You too sir." and the young man behind the bar returned to his job, serving another rich guy a shot of highly priced booze.

Downing another sip of his cocktail, still amazed about how good the bitter of the soda and the fresh orange juice tasted good together, he turned around and faced again the door, still waiting, but slightly less bored.

Yeah, he had been there for almost an hour, doing nothing more than drink and stare at a freakin' door, surrounded by people who clearly looked at him as a person who didn't belong and shit like that. But that guy had been nice to him, enough to make him a good cocktail.

The life of an Imperial Inquisitor is a lonely life. You spent so many hours doing your job you had little to nothing spare time to do what you liked. That's why he was so eager to use the week end to vent out and just do what he wanted, away from orders and reports and tracking people up and down the galaxy, chained to a desk, and trying to grasp good info to send to the Rebel Alliance. And help Jax staying out of troubles.

He turned around for a moment, looking for the barman. "Hey pal, know nothing of the limmie game?"

He raised his head from the dishwasher he was filling. "What? The Coronet City VS Shadaah United?"

"Yeah, that one!"

The boy took a small datapad from his pocket and pushed a couple of buttons. "Still no goals, but Narook was expelled."

"Oh, shit... that guy's gonna spend most of the season benched. Thanks!"

It was then, when he turned towards the door again, brooding on the big match he was missing and how that particular player was a waste of money and resources, that it hit him.

Better, she hit him.

Like a punch to the face.

He nearly let his glass fall on the floor when he saw her entering the hall, right there in front of his eyes. Sex on two legs. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He shut his eyes and opened them again, thinking it was simply a dream, a vision created by his over-bored mind to distract him.

No such luck.

The woman in red was still there, looking around, as if searching for someone.

Ferus drank again from his cold glass, trying not to look so attracted to her. But that woman was... tall, with killer heels that highlighted her long, toned legs, wearing a dress that could kill anyone in the room with a penis (or else), a posture that shouted "I'm a fashion model" all around and a pair of green eyes that could have killed. Not to mention the perfect, long, wavy hair that framed her face, with the perfect shade of chestnut many women could only obtain dyeing their hair. But that woman... he could feel it, she was all natural.

Ferus ran his hand through his hair and sighed, still trying to keep his eyes on her face and not let them fall down to her... well, perfect breasts, because that dress left little nothing to imagination.

_The m__an she's searching for must be a lucky bastard... _he thought, going back to look at the door, waiting for the agent. He didn't know much, only that he was waiting for a woman from Vice, an agent called Jane Kobb. Not a detective yet, but definitely on the good path to become one. The files only showed her name, and he was slapping his face mentally for not looking for a picture in the police database.

Still with the image of the mysterious woman in red burning in his mind, he nursed a little more from his drink, wiping the condensation forming on the glass, and kept his eyes fixed on the door.

It was only a couple of minutes later that a red shadow formed in the corner of his eyes, that he dared to look away from the continuous coming and going of people in and out the place.

"You must be Inquisitor Olin." a sultry female voice came from the shadow.

When he turned to face the inquirer, he almost had an heart attack.

The woman in red was there, in front of him, talking to him, smiling at him. And she knew his name.

Suddenly, he felt like an horny teenager again, even if he was thirty one years old. Worst case of girl panic he had ever experienced. After a moment, spent thinking about how it felt like being in a cheesy romcom movie where people just meet and it's like _boom, thunderstruck, crazy in love forever and ever_, he managed to grab a hold on himself. "Jane Kobb, I presume." his voice sounded calmer than he was. Deep inside, the man that hadn't got laid in ages was screaming impatiently to get to know the woman enough to ask her out. And hope he would get lucky sooner or later. That same night would have been perfect.

She smiled. "In person. Thank god they gave me a picture of you, or I would have never found you in here." she said, sitting on the stool beside his. Yeah, that dress should have been illegal, Ferus felt his sanity slipping away from him as seconds went by. And it was her fault.

"Good, because I completely forgot to check who you where and how you looked like, so I would have never found you for real."

"Oh, you wouldn't have recognized me from my badge photo. Hair hidden beneath the helmet and no make up? No way. By the way, is there anything good on the drink list that's worth trying?"

"Thirsty? That guy made this thing and it's pretty amazing. No alcohol involved."

She made a face. "Ah, too bad. I love alcohol. But I'm on duty tonight, until we catch this bastard, so, no alcohol for me too. What's that?"

"That guy there called it _Virgin Coruscant Lava Flow_, I don't know what's in there, except for fresh orange juice and bitter soda, ground ice and some mint. There must be something else, but it's really good. Want to try?"

"Nah, I already know how the _Lava Flow_ tastes like. I wanted to try something new. I'm stuck at work on a Saturday night, I want to get the best out of this."

"Same for me. Hey pal!" he shouted at the barman that had served him earlier. "Care to make something for this pretty lady?"

The boy rushed in front of them and, smiling, leaned on the polished surface. "Got any particular idea in mind?"

Jane let the drink list on the bar and looked at the boy. Ferus noticed he had a hard time not to react at her beauty too. Misery loves company. "Surprise me. As long as it's not alcoholic and it's not a _Lava Flow_. Feel free to use your imagination."

A sly smile curved his lips for a moment. "You ok with spicy things, ma'am?"

"Told you, surprise me."

The boy nodded and grasped another tumbler from the counter and gathered all the ingredients in front of him, starting a show as he juggled bottles, fresh fruits and what looked like a small jar of... yellow stuff. Probably the spicy stuff he was talking about earlier.

The whole thing was quite entertaining, because they could see how the cocktail was prepared in a rather spectacular way, with things that went flying in the tall glass and... well, the skilled guy making it was literally showing off all his technique. By the time he was done, he presented glass filled to the brim with a thick, crimson liquid with two bright yellow bubbles inside, swimming in the middle of the glass surrounded by a strange blue swirl all around it. The whole thing was the same shade as her dress. "There you go, _Tatooine Twin Suns_ on the rocks with hot sauce. A tiny thing: don't burst the bubbles. They're the last thing you should drink."

"I'll keep that in mind." and she proceeded to taste her drink. By the look of pure bliss on her face, it was good.

"Hey, thanks man..." said Ferus handing him a bill. "You deserve all your tips for tonight."

"You're too kind sir. By the way..." he leaned a little closer to him. "I thought you said it was a job meeting!" he said in a hushed tone.

"It is."

"But... have you seen her? She's a... wow!"

"Yeah man, I've got eyes too. But I swear, it's for a job."

He made a face. "Too bad." he paused for a moment. "Can I..."

Ferus stopped him with a sideways look. "Way out of your league."

The barman raised his hands. "That's why I asked." and with that, he left and went back to his job.

"What were you two talking about?" asked Jane, toying with the straw of her drink. Ferus couldn't help but finding that simple, innocent gesture strangely arousing.

"Nothing... just a limmie match I'm missing." he downed the last sip of his own drink and left the glass on the counter. "Nothing to worry about."

She shook her head. "Come on, I'm young but not stupid. I've seen how you looked at me when I came in. I know the effect I can have on men. He wanted your permission to ask me out?"

Ferus shrugged his shoulders. "Something like that, Officer Kobb."

She waived him off. "Call me Jane." she stated, point blank.

He nodded, again. "Good, Jane. Now, we're here for a reason, and it's not enjoying the perks of open bar and free drinks. You have any questions before we dive in this mission?"

"Only one. Do you have any weapon with you?"

"No. But I'm a trained Inquisitor, also I was part of the Jedi Order for a while, before resigning. I can handle my shit. My turn now: where's your badge?"

Half hiding behind the glass, she smiled, and blood boiled in his veins. She was teasing him, and reveling in the effects of her teasing on him. "Don't ask." that was the last piece of evidence he needed to be certain she was teasing him. They had met barely ten minutes before and they were already flirting.

That night was going to be a living hell.

"Right. I won't ask. But I want to ask you how you do want to proceed. This is a police action, I'm here only for support."

Jane nodded. "Sure. I was thinking maybe we could mingle and look around. I was told my Captain asked for your help because you Inquisitors are trained to recognize people who use the Force and since I'm the only woman in the task force that investigated on this case, I was sent here, dressed like this, so I could mix with the crowd, waiting for you, Inquisitor."

"Call me Ferus. And yes, I'm trained at recognizing, tracking and spotting any unauthorized Force user in the room. And I'm also one of the few people authorized to use the Force."

"Must be the coolest thing ever." He didn't know if it was a conscious move, but she crossed her legs as she turned towards him and he found it hard to swallow the lump forming in his throat. The neck tie was suddenly too tight and the light linen jacket all too warm. That woman was a killer on stiletto heels. He had to school himself so he wouldn't drool in front of her like a rabid dog.

"Yeah, it's cool, but the coolest thing ever is the lightsaber part. I've got a special permit that allows me to carry it. That's cool."

"Yeah, I remember watching the holonews with my parents and see all you Jedi during the war doing those amazing things..."

"I didn't fight the war. I pulled out before that." he confessed, already looking around, analyzing the crowd that was now filling the seemingly immense dance hall. Since his arrival, more and more people had come and were now chatting or dancing on the dancefloor not too far from their place. It wasn't exactly easy to pinpoint _one_ single person in there, but they still had time. The real party still had to begin. It was now time for drinks to flow, to undo purses and sign cheques for an unidentified charity. Rich people's favorite activity.

"I didn't know you could pull out of the Jedi Order."

Ferus shrugged his shoulders, again. "Technically you can't. You're an outcast if you go away. But it didn't work for me anymore. When I was a kid it was all amazing, then I started seeing beyond the golden veil they spread over things. They were as corrupted as the Republic they pretended to protect. I'm glad I made the right decision when I had the time."

A thick, though not uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them, as they both looked around, searching for the perp they were there to arrest. They both leaned back on the counter and their shoulders touched, but no one moved away.

Ferus then took a moment to study her: Jane Kobb was an interesting character, both externally and psychologically. She was one of the most beautiful women in the room, and she was conscious of the effect she had on men and possibly some women alike, but she was also an extremely intelligent and acute person, and probably relied more on that than her good looks, to achieve things in life.

Usually women like her became actresses or fashion models, and she did have both the looks and the stride to be one of each, or both at the same time, instead she choose a high profile job, a cop, firstly in strike and recon groups then as a field agent in Vice. She was aiming to the position of Detective, and by the way she was scanning the area around her, she knew how to take things in, analyze them to find the detail that could solve the case, or find their perp, in that case.

He took he straw out of his now empty glass and rolled it through his fingers, before crushing the thin plastic film in his fist. "Wanna dance?"

Jane turned around so fast her neck snapped. "What?"

"Most activity will be around the dancefloor, and if our guy's really here, I bet this month's paycheck he'll be around there looking for pretty young girls to trick into his sick ways and sell her later to a rich client. If we're lucky enough, we'll find him there before he strikes."

The look she threw him was a mix of anger and amusement. She probably didn't expect that kind of thinking from an Inquisitor: they had told her they were all uptight assholes with a stick shoved up their ass, instead she had found a genuinely nice man that treated her nicely. The good looks was a great asset too. And now he was asking her to dance with him? Oh well, let's make the best out of a Saturday night at work...

"Sure, why not." she gracefully untangled her legs and slid down the stool, checking on the dress for rumples or stains.

Ferus, as the gentleman he was, held his hand for hers. "May I have this dance, ma'am?"

Smiling, a little awkwardly at the wide display of old fashioned manners from the Inquisitor, she grabbed his own hand and courtly bowed in response. "Definitely, kind sir."

Smiling, he led her to the dancefloor and, much to her dismay, the music suddenly changed, from an uptempo to a much more slow, and sexier, tune.

The exchanged a look and sighed "I hope your Jedi training included this kind of thing, not only Force tricks, swordsmanship and chivalry." she said, facing him.

Ferus chuckled, circling her waist with his right arm and pulling her tightly against him. "Don't worry Jane. I can handle my shit even on the dancefloor." then he started moving with the music, leading her in the perfect way, with a steady pace that followed the rhythm in the most perfect harmony.

Jane was impressed.

If being stuck at work at Saturday night meant going undercover with a guy like Ferus Olin, well, the more the merrier! She took the liberty to study him, as he had studied her not five minutes earlier: he was definitely a good looking guy. Not the kind of guy you spot in the crowd because he's too handsome to be real, but he definitely had charm. A lot of charm. And savoir fare.

He did know how to handle a conversation, how to behave in front of a woman, even if he was definitely having a hard time not to jump all over her. She knew that, and was trying not to make it harder on him, even if she had already realized that maybe that kind of dress, that left so much skin uncovered and let the mind wonder with see-through and stuff wasn't exactly the best choice. But in the beginning she thought she was going to be the bait, so the Inquisitor could find the guy, but Ferus wasn't apparently going to put her in danger by letting her go around.

Instead they were dancing, a very sensual dance, and they were complete strangers. Having known each other for no more than thirty minutes, it felt weird to her, being so relaxed around him. Usually, she was more careful about things like this, about feelings and stuff. And dancing that way was part of that stuff she was careful about.

"Where did you learn how to dance like this?" she asked, breaking the silence, but still looking straight in his eyes. She could lose herself in them, in their clear blue. _Hey Jane, get those things out of your mind. You have a job to do._ She thought after a moment.

"When I was a Padawan learner in the Jedi Order, my Master wanted me to know how to behave in high society. Sometimes our job was to protect people from being harmed, sometimes those people were rich and required protection from assassinations attempts and stuff, and she wanted me to be prepared for anything. Even an occasion like this. So, between a round of sword sparring and a meditation hour, she taught me how to dance, the etiquette, when to talk and when to shut up. They were useful lessons, that I stored for better occasions, even though, at the time, I was bored to death by them."

"Good thing you decided to store those lessons for better occasions, because I'm a terrible leader." she murmured, looking over his shoulder to see if there was any suspect activity.

"Well, at least you follow fine. By the way, I hope you're talking about dancing."

She huffed a laugh that lit up her whole face. She smiled with her whole heart, he gladly noticed. "Yeah, I'm talking about dancing. As for the rest, yeah, apparently, I am a good leader. Or my boss would have never let me here."

"You said you're the only female cop on the case."

"True, but there are plenty of female agents, more expert in undercover operations, that could be instructed and sent in places like this to catch a pimp, even a Force sensitive one. Seems though they lack something, so they sent me."

Ferus whirled her around then caught her in a perfect figure that bowed her backwards enough to let her have an upside down view of the people behind her back, then he pulled her back up and tightened his hold on her, closing the embrace.

Jane would have never admitted that she was having fun, dancing with this stranger.

But when the song changed rhythm, still steady but definitely faster, the way he danced changed with it. He became bolder, making more wide figures that had her spinning around the dancefloor, and at a certain point, she realized they were the only one left dancing. It was her chance to feel in a romcom movie full of cliches. But by the way Ferus was leading the dance, she could tell he had something in mind, as if following someone. And she just went with it, followed her leader and let him handle her.

She had never allowed a man to control her like that, even if it was only for a dance.

"Excuse my bold move Jane, but the song is almost over and we need to close this thing." he said at a certain point, whispering those words with a hushed and thick tone that barely masked his excitement.

Jane had barely the time to register those words when the hand that held her at her waist slid down her left thigh and behind her knee, and with a swift motion he pulled her leg around his waist and his own left knee bent until it touched the wooden floor, halting them suddenly right as the music stopped with a climatic ending.

They were right in the center fo the floor, oblivious to the rest of the people watching them, enchanted by their improvised performance.

"Found your badge." he murmured in her ear before letting her go, even if he indulged a little longer with his hand on the back of her thigh, caressing the soft skin beneath the silk of her dress.

They stood up and bowed to the cheering crowd, enchanted by their performance, then proceeded to walk away from the dancefloor, leaving room for all the others as the small orchestra started the next song.

"Now, what do we do?" asked Jane, still a little upset by the whole thing.

"Now, my dear Jane, we catch our pimp."

Again, she turned towards him with a snap. "What?"

Ferus smiled and with a tiny movement of his head he showed her where to look. "You see that guy with the blue dress and the clashing purple tie? The one with the untouched drink in his hand?"

Jane spotted him. "Yeah, I see him."

"Good. He's our guy. I felt something in the Force right before I asked you to dance with me and I needed a full view of the place. And here he is, trying to coerce that girl there, with the bright pink dress. What's the plan now?"

She held his hand tighter and smiled. "Follow me." and she dragged him towards the man, but in a cheerful, almost careless way, as if she was just one of the patrons dragging her partner to the great balcony right behind the man. When she crashed, willingly, into him and profusely asked for his forgiveness for her clumsiness and when he finally pushed her away, she winked at Ferus, causing him not to understand what was going on.

Which he promptly asked a moment later, when she really dragged him on the balcony and leaned on the banister, laughing like mad.

"What the hell did you do?"

Jane turned around and faced him. "I placed a tracer on him. Within five minutes, a couple of colleagues will pick him up and lead him to the precinct for interrogation."

Ferus sighed. "Good... we can go home then?"

She shrugged her shoulders and again turned towards the immense city, stretching lazily outside the balcony, so full of life, yet so dead. For a moment, all Ferus could see was the heavy midnight traffic reflected in her bright eyes as she simply watched the skycars go by, not a hundred yards away from them, and for that same moment, he thought she was shining, like a star. He doubted he'd ever seen a more perfect woman ever in his life. The horrible sound was muffled by a carefully placed device that dampened all incoming sounds and permitted to leave the balcony open, so fresh air could enter the hall and patrons could enjoy a quiet moment, one that he definitely needed to calm his spirits after... well, after that.

"I don't have to be in until Monday. My boss told me to identify the perp, place the tracer and enjoy the rest of the night. With the Inquisitorious confirming he was using the Force, we don't even need to formally accuse him."

"Yeah, our authority surpasses yours. Are you OK with this?"

"With what? Imprison a man for using a gift he was given? No. Imprison a man for using a gift he was given to trick girls into prostitution? Yes, definitely."

He took his time to reply. He didn't know if her tongue just slipped, as she had just publicly admitted she did not agree with the law that forbid the use of the Force, except for Imperial officers, right in front of one of those men who were entitled to make people respect that law, or if she was just comfortable enough to speak her mind. Or if she had seen through his mask and blown his cover.

Maybe talking about his days in the Jedi Order hadn't been such a good idea.

"You know..." he spoke softly, leaning closer to her. "I can have you arrested for that."

_Bad move, idiot. _He thought, soon after he had spoken those words.

Jane rolled her eyes and shook her head. "For what? For that thing about the Force? Oh come on, you can't be serious!" she was laughing. He knew at least six men, with a cubicle on his same floor, that would have really arrested her for that, with no second thought. That girl was tough, but the Empire could seriously overcome her.

She needed to pay attention.

"I said that I could arrest you, not that I would. And by the way, if you're off duty, so am I. And we just helped your department arresting a very vicious criminal. So... you want another drink?"

The look of pure mirth that lit her beautiful face nearly made him choke. "Now, that's talking, Inquisitor."

"Then let's get wasted, Officer. The Empire's paying the bill!"

A couple of hours and six more delightfully teasing and flirty dances later, Ferus was definitely tipsy, borderline drunk, and exhausted. He was considering going home and crash in his bed with still his tight elegant clothes on and sleep until next afternoon, catch up with the infamous lost match and go to sleep again until the alarm beeped on Monday morning, to start his weekly routine.

His boring, weekly routine.

But Jane had other ideas.

He had taken the opportunity to rest for a while on a couch left unoccupied by the other people the moment she had excused herself to pay a visit to the restroom, hoping to catch a breath before telling her it was time to go home. _Damn, I feel like an old, decrepit man._ He thought at some point, half laying on that couch.

When Jane came back, a few minutes later, she stood in front of him, looking down, hands on her hips and legs slightly apart. It was a miracle he didn't tear his pants at the crotch.

"So, what are you doing?"

"I..." he swallowed and cleared his throat. "I think it's bed time for me."

She huffed a laugh. "What the hell? It's barely two in the morning! I came here straight from work and I'm still fine, and you're tired? Oh come on! Live a little, Inquisitor Olin!"

He feigned a sleepy, glazed look and stared at her, admiring each curve of her body. All the alcohol helped him being incredibly believable at the I'm-tired-let-me-sleep-thing, but deep down, he wasn't tired at all. Tired of being there, surrounded by too many people, yeah. Tired as worn out, definitely not. He just wanted to go home. Possibly, with her, but he had to play his cards as best as he could.

"How about one last round then we call it a night?" he proposed, still half sprawled on the couch, and still admiring the view, much to her amusement.

At that, she nodded. "Why not? I'm already in need of a cab right now, another one won't hurt."

Ferus stood up, a bright loopy smile on his face, and placed a hand in the small of her back, then he gently led her to the bar. "We'll see about that."

And her flirty attitude was back, as was the smoldering look on her face. Damn that woman was smoking hot, well aware of that, and with all the alcohol flowing in them, everything was simply magnified. "What do you have in mind?"

"Right now? You, me, shot glasses and a round of _Twister Twist_." A drinking game that involved personal questions, very personal questions, and if you don't want to answer you had drink a shot of a very strong liquor, the Arborite Twister. Hence the name of the game.

"You're on, Inquisitor." she whispered in his ear. "And I can take you."

"We'll see about that."

Their night had just begun.


	2. Wicked Game

_Slightly __inspired __by __the __Stone __Sour __cover __of__ "__Wicked __Game__" __and __a __boring __afternoon __in __the __hotel __room __while __outside __the __sea __was __threatening __to __submerge __half __of __Rimini__. __Rating __goes __up __to __M__. __Not anything __too __graphic__, __according __to __the __site __rules__, __but __discretion __is __advised__._

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**Chapter**** 2 - ****Wicked****Game**

Not five minutes later, Ferus joined Jane at the table on the large balcony she had chosen, with an immaculate bottle of 'Twister and two shot glasses, set them in front of her and then sat on the metallic chair, facing her. Even through the eyes of a slightly intoxicated man, she was by far the most gorgeous woman in the whole room. And there was no way he could get away from that place without at least a comlink ID or an address to call her or visit her. There was something in Jane Kobb that attracted him like a magnet, it was a centripetal force that pulled him in and he couldn't resist her.

He just needed to be smart and bold enough to ask her out.

"So, my dear Inquisitor, I know there are many versions of the 'Twist. Which rules are we going to abide?" she asked, dragging one of the shot glasses towards.

"Basic rules?" he proposed, twisting the cap and breaking the seal of the bottle. "I mean, I ask you a question and if you don't want to answer you drink a shot. I know those rules."

Jane nodded as he poured the drink. "Good. There's also a very hardcore version but that's for a group round, it works like this: one in the group asks a questions and each one answers. If you don't want to answer you drink your shot. Works wonders to light up dull parties."

"I bet. I'm more a beer kind of guy, but you can light up a party even with an empty bottle of beer."

"Spin the bottle?" she asked, a wild strand of hair partially covered her eyes.

"Yep. I was introduced to all these goodies when I left the Jedi Order and believe me, I've met the craziest people at parties, playing Spin The Bottle or Twister Twist." He confessed. "Not exactly my cup of tea, but I can adapt."

Jane laughed, softly, covering her lips with her hand to mask it. It was painful to watch her laugh and not being able to see her smile. He wanted to kiss her so badly he could feel his own lips tingle with anticipation. He could almost taste her, even if he didn't even have a direct experience of it.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly a party girl myself, but you know… when I was at the Academy I had my dose of wild parties and stuff. And since some of my friends introduced me to the 'Twist, I swear I fell in love with this thing. Sometimes I avoided answering questions because I love the taste of the liquor."

"Then I'm going to introduce a new rule: we're both trained at detecting lies so we must be sincere. OK?"

Jane nodded and took her shot glass, raising it in front of her eyes. "I'm OK with that. A toast? To Inquisitors and Police cooperating?"

Ferus took his shot and raised it too. "I'm more for a night doing extra work that turned into a nice night out with a beautiful, intelligent woman. How do you like that?"

"Then to an undercover job turned into a night of revelry?" she proposed.

"And to the hangover tomorrow morning." They clicked their shots together and downed them. The strong spirit burned their throat but the strong, bitter taste was a bliss for them. That thing was one of the best liquors available in the galaxy. "Come on, let's start it! First question: favorite color?" he asked, refilling their glasses.

Jane made a face. "Easy enough. I'm a fan of red and purple, but I tend to like more purple. The deeper the better. My turn: how long have you been working for the Inquisitors?"

"Since about a month after their creation. The Boss came personally to my door to ask me to join, considering my background. Now let me think…" he took a long pause to think about an interesting question and looked straight in her eyes, seeing everything and nothing at all. Those deep green eyes were a mystery in which he just wanted to dive. That girl was an interesting character, and he wanted to discover every layer of Jane Kobb. "How about… how old are you?"

"Really? You're asking me how old I am?" she replied in disbelief.

Ferus nodded. "Yeah, I mean, you're a cop and that means you're over age, but I'm a bit worried about the gap."

"Why Inquisitor, are you going to ask me out?" asked Jane, biting her lower lip and sliding a little on her chair so she had her elbow on the stony balcony and her chin on the heel of her palm. That way, one of the shoulder straps of her dress moved a little, enough to give him the chance to see a little more skin than earlier. "Or are you asking me because you want to get in my pants and you don't want a jailbait?"

He took a deep breath before answering. "We'll see. Anyway, are you going to answer?"

"Of course! Turned twenty one three months ago so don't worry, no jailbait. How about you?"

"Thirty one in ten days. Are you single?"

At that, Jane downed her shot. Bad sign. Either she had a boyfriend and she didn't want him to know, or she had some issues with said boyfriend. Or maybe she simply didn't want to talk about it. "Are you?"

Ferus nodded. "Free as a bird. Actually, outside the colleagues, I don't know many people, let alone have a girlfriend. Why did you join the Police Force?"

"I was recruited. I used to do swoop bike racing and the Captain of the Special Forces noticed I had a natural talent for driving in dangerous situations. He asked if I was interested in putting that talent into good use. I was sixteen then, the right age to join the Academy so I finished school and went straight to the Police Academy. I did my training and I was a driver for the Special Recon Team for a year, then someone else noticed I was good at undercover jobs when I had to pull my squd out of a tough situation and I posed as a prostitute from the Outer Rim, accent and everything, and I was moved to Vice last year. I'm aiming at the position of Detective in Homicide, if I can get there."

"That's why you took this job? To add more points for a possible promotion?"

"Partially. That, and because I was the only woman in the task force. Also, I was the only one of the shift that could fit into this dress. And you? Why did you come here? Hoping for a promotion too?"

Ferus shook his head. "Nope. I was the only one with a formal dress at work when my boss asked if any of us had one. Family?"

"Mom, dad, an older sister and an older brother. And six between nieces and nephews. I'm fifteen years younger than my middle sibling. You?"

He drank his shot, then proceeded to refill it. He didn't really want to answer that. His family was the Jedi Order, but everyone knew what had happened to them. He had jumped off the sinking ship early enough to save himself. That didn't mean he didn't ferl bad about it. Really bad. Good people had died during the last years and he knew many of them. Some of them were his friends. "Why Homicide?"

"It's cool. Also, catching murderers and stuff like that is better than jailing pimps, prostitutes and sometimes going undercover as one. You know, some of the airways are kind of cold, in thet kind of clothes."

He laughed, trying to picture her in a low-life prostitute attire. And having a hard time imagining something else but silk on her. "Yeah, I get it. Not cool enough." he replied, trying to push those thoughts away.

Jane shrugged her shoulders "It's not about how cool a job is, it's a matter of what I want to do. What I feel is right for me. And I'm a better detective than I'm an actress. I'm a terrible actress. Sometimes I wonder how my superior can send me undercover as a prostitute all winks and flirts."

"Your flirting technique works perfectly. I mean… yeah, it works!"

She arched an eyebrow and threw him an inquisitive look. "Did it work for you?"

And she bit her lip. Again.

He wanted to bite that lip. Badly. So much he had to grab the leg of the table with one hand and hold it tight not to show any kind of reaction at the gesture. Damn it, that woman was pretty much still a girl, barely out of teenage, and she acted like a much older woman, probably closer to his age. He had to bite down his tongue to refrain himself from jumping over her. He just grabbed the shot glass and drank from it, so quickly he almost chocked on the liquor. Two could play that game though. That wicked game that was making him strain to touch her. Yeah, her flirting technique was working wonders on him, but she didn't need to know it. If she didn't know it already.

Another refill. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Playing a drinking game that will get you drunk with a guy you barely know?"

Jane thought about the answer for a moment, searching in her slightly hazed mind an appropriate answer to that question but she didn't have one. At least one that made sense. None of the answers she could come up with were sensible ones. She liked the guy, that was sure, he fascinated her in many ways, first and foremost the loneliness she could see in his eyes, but there was something else. Something big he wasn't telling, but not just to her, but to anyone around him. A big secret that was gnawing him away, slowly, but that hurt him. A lot. Still, she didn't have an answer for his question, so she simply took _his _shot and drank it, never taking her eyes away from his.

Yep, all her flirting was working. His pants were awfully tight at that point. And he decided to try it, even if it wasn't his turn.

"Would you mind if I asked you out?"

"No. What do you think of women letting men they just met in their beds?" she asked, and Ferus noticed a slight trembling in the finger she was running on the brim of the shot glass.

He shook his head. "Nothing, what should I think of them? It's their life, if they want to have sex with a guy they just met, it's their life. How about men hooking up with women on the job?"

"Not exactly a fan, but if they don't strictly work together, like they work in the same field, no problem, but I don't think that two people working together in the same place every day could have a good relationship. My turn now. Would you forget my name tomorrow morning if I invited you at my place?"

"I'm really good with names so, no, I wouldn't forget your name tomorrow morning. And for what it's worth, I would be honored."

"To come home with me? Honored? Again with the _knight __in __the __shiny __whatever_ thing?"

Ferus shook his head. "Never been knighted. I'm no knight in shiny whatever, I'm just the average guy with an average job that met the most beautiful woman of the planet and happens to like her a lot."

Jane giggled and tried to hid behind the shot glass in her hand, and her smile lit the room at his eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he had the definite impression he had fallen in love with Agent Jane Kobb.

"You have a certain way with words. Your Master's work?"

"No. Plain and simple drunkness. I'm way more shy when I'm sober."

Even without a question asked, she downed her shot and refilled her glass. They way she did it perspired sensuality. It was impossible for her to be only twenty one. She couldn't be so self conscious about the way men looked at her to use it at her own advantage. That was something that came. "There's only one thing that stops me from waving a cab and take you home with me."

_Holy __fuckin__' __shit__..._ he tought, hiding the sudden twitch of his limbs with a jerky movement aimed to take his own glass and drink his dose of liquor. "And that would it be?"

"I don't want to be a notch on your bedpost. I don't want to be only a conquest, a trophy you can boast about with your friends."

"That's not how it works with me. There are no conquests, no trophys. I'm serious, when it comes to relationships. And I have the feeling this one can be great."

Biting her lower lip again, Jane stood, drank the last shot of the night and banged the empty glass on the table. "You have no idea."

And with that, she headed towards the entrance of the hall, leaving Ferus sliding down on the chair in the vain attempt to hide his more than evident arousal under the table. The way she whispered that _you __have __no __idea _was just fuel on an already big fire. Running both hands on his face he looked at her direction, admiring the view of the plain expanse of her naked back. He was desperately trying to regain some composure, at least enough to be certain his legs would hold him straight and he wouldn't wobble around her like a drunkard thrown out of a dirty pub in the underbelly of Coruscant.

A skycar speeding some yards away made his glass shine with the headlights as it passed by and he simply grabbed it and drank it, calling it quits. Enough liquor, time to dive into action.

As he stood up, ready to follow her, Jane turned around and faced him, hands on her hips. "You comin'?"

Nodding like a school boy, he soon reached her, walking straight and not wobbling, like he was worried about. "How far is your place?"

"Twenty minutes cab ride north of here. Not far."

"I didn't picture you for an uptown girl." he said, hooking his arm so she could sneak her own around his. Classiest way to leave a place, with the most gorgeous woman of the party at your arm. He could feel the envious stares of all the men present in the room, both single and married, and he smiled inwardly, rejoycing for his luck.

"Dad's rich. When I decided I wanted to get away from home, he bought me an apartment. Couldn't let go of his baby girl without knowing she's safe in a surveilled building with to of the line security measures." she said, waving a cab that passed her by, not even slowing down. "Damn... I hate cabbies that ignore women."

"Gender equality my ass, sorry. It's still a man's galaxy." he put thumb and index beneath his tongue and let out a high-pitched whistled that had a cab pull over to their position on the walkway in no time. "Be it for me, I'd beat the crap out of every sexist and racist guy I meet." he confessed, opening the door for her.

"Not very Jedi-like." she said as she slid inside.

"Then luckily for me, I'm not a Jedi."

He followed her and as soon as the door was closed, Jane gave the cabbie the address of her apartment complex, then closed small window that separated the passengers compartment from the driving seat.

He was expecting a short ride, just long enough to relax for a moment and let the alcohol in his system wear down a little so the world, and Jane, would stop spinning like a damn carousel around him and then see what she had in mind once they reached her place, but he was wrong. So much wrong.

Practically the same moment the car moved away from the pavement, Jane was all over him. With her hands on his shoulders, she straddled his legs, grinding down on him, and thank the Force for the wide slit in her dress, because it was just the kind of contact they both needed. And much more.

She kissed him with a hunger and a passion he couldn't think was possible, her soft lips devouring his while, her fingers threading in the short hair at the nape of his neck, holding for dear life onto it. It took him more than a moment to react, so stunned he was by her bold actions, but once he realized what was going on wasn't a product of his over-frustrated imagination, he kissed her back, again marvelled at the hunger he himself poured into that kiss, invading her mouth with his tongue, caressing her own, enticing her even more. She tasted like an undescribable mix of something fruity and their liquor of choice, but the most incredible thing was the scent of wild cherries that surrounded her, like an invisible cloud and in the cramped space of the skycar, everything was amplified.

Ferus was mesmerized by that woman he barely knew, her young, strong character attracted him like a moth to a flame, a woman that had him pinned down on the seat of the car like a horny teenager.

He pulled back just enough to take a deep breath before tangling his own fingers in her long hair and pull her down to him again for another hot, sloppy kiss that cut her air supply short, a kiss that slowly trailed down her jaw and neck.

Throwing her head back to allow him more room for manouvers, Jane let out a content sigh at his careful ministration, each stroke of his tongue and lips sent a wave of pleasure through her body, and she cried out loud when he gently bit down at her pulse point. Gauging her reaction, Ferus bit her again, harder this time, then laved the same sensitive spot with his tongue, leaving her shuddering and grasping his shoulders hard, as if to mantain some self control. And even if he couldn't see her face, the Force in motion around her was a enough to tell him how aroused she was. Smiling against her skin, he kept his journey across her collarbone, leaving hot, wet open mouthed kisses in his wake while his hands ran down her side to her hips, skimming the soft silk of her dress, while he wished he could get her naked in that very moment and feel the softness of her skin, and not the high quality cloth that looked so amazing on her, and she shivered in anticipation of what would come as soon as they would get home.

They were still in the cab, but that didn't stop Ferus from pushing his hips up while pulling Jane down into him, earning another loud gasp from her, and making it hard for him to swallow back his own. Damn, she was so horny she could have come by only dry humping him in the cab, but he had other ideas in mind. Other plans.

Shaking her head a little, as if to push away some kind of fog, and looked down at him. The lights coming from outside the cab made her eyes sparkle in the dimly lit cab, and when she bit down her lower lip, Ferus jumped a little on the seat, she let go of his shoulders and sneaked her hand between them and brushed her fingers over his groin, then, with a wicked, crooked smile, she cupped him through his fingers, and she did revel in the loud noise that came out of his mouth, as he let his head fall on the back rest, with his eyes rolled back as his grip on her hips tightened on his hands' own volition.

That cruel grin that lit her eyes remained when she ran her fingertip on the seam of his pants, drawing ghostly patterns on the fabric that made him twitch in the confined space. Jane could film him carelessly strain beneath her as she held him in her hand, literally and metaphorically, until Ferus felt that little self control that remained in him snap and he pushed his hand beneath her dress until the tip of his fingers touched the front of her panties, only to find her soaking wet.

How could he resist something like that?

"Oh gods..." she whined, then almost screamed as he pushed a little more into her. "Oh fuck..."

"Damn it Jane, how long have you been this wet?"

Using her free hand, Jane grabbed his tie and pulled him to her and kissed him again, rolling her hips against his fingers. "Long enough..." she whispered against his mouth.

_Damn__, __she __wants __to __kill __me_. he though when her teeth scraped his lower lip. But he nearly lost it when she deftly undid his fly and sneaked her hand inside and...

The cabbie banged his fist against the plastic glass that separated them. "Het lovebirds, no sex in my cab or I'll call the cops!"

With the moment ruined, Jane and Ferus looked at each other with an expression of pure wrath in their eyes, then simultaneously pulled at each other's badges, his in the internal pocket of his jacked and her neatly tucked in her garter, then pushed them against the glass, so hard the cabbie jumped on his seat.

"The cops are already here smartass." started Jane. "And if you don't want a fine for the extremely dangerous way you drive not to mention the violation of the hygenic laws for cabs and private transport cars, you'd better shut your mouth, raise the divider and drive." her voice was so stern and tight it was clear she was using her cop persona, and the tone aroused Ferus even more.

"How do you do that?" he asked, as the plastic separator was raised again, this time with a thin opaque layer to give them some more privacy.

"Do what? I just knew he had the opaque glass, this cab model has it by design."

"This... I mean... how do you change like that?"

"Five years in the police make you pretty much multitasking. We can be sweet as candy with victims one minute and assholes with the perps the other. Now... where were we?" her sultry voice made him shiver as much as the hand popping the button and the fly of his pants and diving into his underwear, pulling him out.

The skin-to-skin contact made him shudder and Jane smiled. She was truly going to kill him, one way or another, by the time they reached her place. That little game she was playing had to finish, and he needed to put an end on it. Shoving a hand beneath her dress again, he pushed her underwear aside. "Clean?"

"Clean and on birth control. Satisfied?"

He didn't even reply, simply pulled her down onto him and entered her with a well angled, long thurst.

"Holy shit..." he groaned, covering the sharp intake of breath coming from Jane. She hadn't had the time to guess his size but... let's just say it was more than what she was used to. She clenched her fists in his jacket and stood completely still for a long moment, her forehead against his, trying to catch her breath and... getting used to him.

On his side, Ferus had to hold onto all his self control not to finish there and then, and ruin the moment. She was tight as hell and to be honest, it had been years since he'd had sex with a real woman and non just his hand. They had to slow down, or the party would be over way too soon.

He held his breath as he cupped her face with his hands and gently kissed her, softly, at first barely touching her then deepening the kiss, allowing themselves to get used to one another. Then Jane started to move above him, slowly, finally adjusted to the feeling. And it was amazing.

She didn't know if it was because she was a Vice cop breaking the laws she was supposed to protect and abusing her power and her badge, or because of the alcohol flowing in her veins or simply because of Ferus, but there was something she couldn't explain herself in that moment. She had always enjoyed sex, but that was more than... enjoying. She was loving it. It was... more than anything she had ever expected.

In the dimly lit cab, speeding hundreds of yards above the ground, Jane was having the best sex she ever had, with a guy she barely knew but that in one night out, a supposedly night out on the job, had treated her better than any official boyfriend she'd ever had. The way he held her close to him made her feel safe, the way he kissed her, like there was no tomorrow, made her crave for his touch more than her next breath.

But it was something in his eyes, a shadow that darkened them in a way she had never seen in a man, a sense of loneliness that didn't belong to a guy so nice... there was something in him that attracted her, more than any other man she'd ever met.

She had it bad.

And enjoying every minute of it.

As Ferus. He was in heaven. A drunk hazed heaven, but heaven nontheless. Many times he found himself thinking he was dreaming, because there's no way a woman like her could be interested in a man like him, but each time she rolled her hips, he got a very strong reminder it was real, very much real. It was too much and not enough at the same time, like he couldn't get enough of her.

At first he tried to set a rhythm, do something active but both of them were too caught in the moment to do anything rational and they just followed their instincts. That meant it was wild, messy, sloppy and fast as fuck. She ground on him like her life depended on it, still holding tight at his jacket to find some purchase and balance. Her lips randomly claimed his in a searing kiss that left him breathless every time, and he really felt like he was floating in a distorted version of heaven.

Suddenly, Jane let go of him and placed her hands on the backrest, at each side of his head for a better hold and balance, and the way she moved changed, became more erratic, frantic. She was close to her release, searching for the right angle, that right stroke that would make her fall. He couldn't let her do all the work. It wasn't polite.

Circling her waist with his left arm, he leaned towards and slid a little forward on the seat, planting his feet on the floor of the car for better leverage. The sudden change of angle made her gasp against his mouth, which turned into a full whine when he sneaked his other hand under her rumpled dress between them, his thumb deftly stroking her.

It took Jane nothing more than a couple of well angled thrust to make her lose it. She threw her head back and let out a strangled cry of pleasure as her orgasm washed over her like hot waves on the beach, cutting her breath short, and Ferus soon followed her, his own release hitting him like a blow to the back of the head, making his muscle go rigid in his whole body. The hand holding her thigh clenched so tight he was sure he would leave bruises on her.

They remained in that position for a moment, trying to fill their lungs with air and clean their haids from the aftershock of their mind-blowing orgasms, holding onto each other for dear life, while the low hum of the skycar engine filled the passenger compartment like a lullaby.

"Gods..." she whispered once she regained a semblance of control over herself.

"Yeah... wow." he replied, closing his eyes shut for a moment then opening them wide to clear them from the haze created by the liquor and the arousal. Seeing Jane so delisciously dishelved, her hair flying in every direction, eyes wild and glowing... he made him crave her more. There was something in her he found absolutely irresistible. She was truly the most amazing person he had ever met.

And when she rolled off him and sat back on the seat, he immediately felt the lack of contact. "Never though cab sex could be so much enjoyable." she revelaed. "Maybe that's why I write so many fines for it!"

"Really?"

Slowly, she nodded. "Yeah, well... not as many as for prostitution or anything related but... yeah, I've signed many fines and arrests for that." she was trying to get her dress back into shape, but it was almost impossible. It was all crumpled, a clear sign of the activity they had enganged in the last fifteen minutes.

And when Ferus looked down at the crotch of his pants, while getting presentable himself, he realized the evidences of their little "illegal activity" were on him as well. _Oh __well__, __dry __cleaning__. _He though to himself.

"Ahem, may I use your shower tomorrow?"

Jane took her badge from the place he had thrown it earlier and tucked it in her garter again. "Of course, you don't even have to ask." she replied, handing her his own badge.

"Thank you. How long?"

"We're almost there."

"Right..." he took a bill from the note compartment of his badge and had it ready.

"You don't have to pay, I can handle it." she said.

"Let me be your knight for tonight Jane. You can thank me later if you want." he whispered with a barely there wink.

He didn't expect to see her stick her tongue out like a kid, and he was about to reply the same way, but the cab suddenly halted and the screen glass slid open. "We're here, lovebirds." sighed the driver, pointing at the fare meter, displaying the price of the run. Apparently, he hadn't overcharged it for the little inconvenience, so Ferus fished for another bill and handed it to him, doubling the fare.

"Sorry for the mess..." he mumbled handing him the money. The cabbie took it without a word, closed the compartment and opened the passenger door, allowing Jane to open it and get out on the walkway right in front of her apartment building. The massive complex was situated in one of the welthiest zones of the planet, with a private walkway with access denied to all the non authorized people, except for rapid transit of cabs, doorman and everything, and it was really equipped with the latest devices regarding security, to the point that Jane had to swipe a card and enter a code on a keypad just to be let inside the front door.

But as she walked to the front door, still unable to stand up completely straight and wobbling a little, Ferus found himself staring at her and wondering where the hell he had got so fortunate in his life. The past ten years and more had been a sequence of totally shitty events, one after the other, and suddenly an angel dropped in his life, out of nowhere. Better sail with the tide, and see how long it lasted.

She was punching the code on the keypad when he reached her. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, sort of. I just don't like being drunk and having to go through all these security measures. I wish dad had bought me an apartment in a different area of the town."

"Would you blame him for it?" he asked, circling her waist with his arm and pulling her towards him.

"He just wanted to know I was safe. He's always worried about me, since I decided to join the police. He was so relieved when I was pulled from patrol I didn't have the guts to tell him I was assigned to Vice." she replied, dragging him towards the turbolift.

The ride was spent in comfortable silence, both of them holding onto one another, sharing a long quiet moment as the elevator took them to the right floor.

When it finally stopped and the door opened, Jane slid out of his embrace and walked down the long corridor until she reached a door not too far. She swiped the card and looked at Ferus, some steps behind her. "You comin'?"

Ferus sighed. "Always."


	3. All The Way Through My Heart

**Chapter 3 - All The Way Through My Heart**

Waking up had never felt so sweet. It had been ages since he had woken up with a smile on his face, and despite the raging hangover that quaked through his head like a jackhammer, he felt good. Calm, relaxed, at peace.

He wouldn't dare to open his eyes, fearing he would lose that sense of stability and quietness that coursed through his whole body, a sensation he longed to be able to feel more often in his life, so he just stayed there for a few more moments, basking in the warm cocoon around him and Jane.

Part of the quiet sensation he was experiencing was caused by her presence, her close presence: they were spooning together, her back to his chest, his arm thrown protectively over her waist, holding her tightly against him, the other trapped beneath her neck. She was still fast asleep, breathing evenly and peaceful, eyes shut close and mouth slightly open, he could feel it against his bicep.

Never in his life he would have thought that waking up with someone beside him would change the feeling of facing a new day so much.

Each morning he dragged himself out of his bed, dreading what he was going to face at work, what news he was going to hear or read, fearing the Empire would discover his little double crossing game and his ties with the Rebellion and the remnants of the Jedi… and in the end of the day, he never slept fine. Nightmares were a normal occurrence, almost every night, except when he couldn't take it anymore and he just drowned everything with booze and an occasional Death Stick when he could find a dealer, not enough to cause harm, but sometimes, he just couldn't even bear the fact that he was alive and he just poured a small quantity into a shot of whiskey and let it do its work, shutting the whirl-winding Force out of his mind for a night.

A night without dreams. Just like that night, without the illegal drug kick. Just plain, legal alcohol.

And sex.

And then, suddenly, he realized that not only he was definitely hung-over, but his muscles ached. A lot. Lower back and upper legs most of all. Shoulders too.

He hadn't used those muscles in a long while, at least for such extended and diversified activity.

Yeah, he hadn't had sex in a long while.

And never like this. Never so good, never so emotionally captivating, and never with such a woman like Jane Kobb.

He started wondering if she was even human or just a weird trick of his overly taxed mind, but having her real, alive and breathing in his arms was the only confirm he needed. He dared to open his eyes but all he could see was her unruly mane of hair sprawled on the pillow between them. And the light that hurt his eyes.

Groaning, he lifted his head and managed to take a peak over her shoulders to the bedside table and the alarm clock: it wasn't too late, but it wasn't exactly early morning. He had slept maybe five hours, but he felt more rested than when he managed to sleep ten or twelve hours. Endorphines helped a lot, that was sure.

But there was something he needed to take care of: his bladder. He definitely needed to get out of the bed and take care of his basic needs, but he also didn't want to wake her up just yet. Not yet. But he needed to get to the bathroom or he was going to explode.

Problem is, when he started moving and slipping his right arm from underneath her neck, she unconsciously grabbed his hand and held him there, mumbling something that sounded like "Don't get up yet."

He shook his head and smiled. "I need to get to the bathroom, I'm not running, don't worry. Keep dreaming, I'll be back."

She let him go and relaxed again. "'lrigh… don't run…" she sighed.

"I won't." once he was free, he leaned on her and kissed her temple, just before slipping out of bed, fetching his boxers on the way to the bathroom and wearing them in two quick jumps. After he took care of his basic necessities, he sighed in relief and dared to look around: the bathroom was well decorated, with high quality materials and furnishing, just like the rest of the house, he imagined, but yet it was simple, practical, easy to clean and most of all, keep it that way. Pretty much like what he imagined Jane would be like: no-nonsense and straight to the point.

On his way out, he dared to look at his reflex in the mirror, and found out he didn't even look that bad, just… well, just like a man that had drunk too much the night before, no fatigue, no circles under his eyes… just that dazed look he always had when he drank too much, easily cured by a quick intake of non-alcoholic drinks.

To be precise, he needed some water. He was thirsty as hell, and with that realization he went straight to the kitchen, pretty much as pristine as the bathroom and started searching the cabinets for a glass. Once he found one, he proceeded with filling it from the tap and downed it, a second, a third and a fourth one soon followed, until he felt his parched throat hydrated again. He then washed the glass and dried it with a kitchen cloth he found somewhere near the sink.

"And now?" he wondered, out loud.

He was too awake to go back to bed but he definitely didn't want to go away just yet. To be honest, he didn't want to go away at all, so he decided to prepare breakfast. He wasn't sure on what Jane used to have in the morning, but he was sure that she was a coffee-addicted, considering the high-end machine on the counter and the amount of coffee stashed in another closet. He found an open can in the fridge, filled the water compartment, added the grounded powder in the filter and started the machine. It was more silent than he thought, the only noise it made was the soft dripping of the liquid into the pot. Not even loud enough to wake her in the bedroom.

The fridge was mostly empty, but he found enough to make pancakes. The real pancakes, not that fake stuff you could find ready to be put in a pan, he would make them from scratch. He wasn't exactly a good cook, he knew how to survive and stuff, but he loved pancakes and it was one of the first things he learned to cook when he went away from the Jedi Order and needed to survive on his own without the help of an older person. And while the coffee was being brewed, he had just the right time to mix the milk with the eggs and the flour and heat a frying pan he found beneath the stove, so he could wake up Jane with a warm breakfast and hot coffee.

A little "thank you" for the night. Not only the sex of course, even though that alone was worth like ten thousand breakfasts in bed, but he was thinking more about the company, the great result of the operation and the capture of that son of a bitch that dishonored the use of the Force to coerce women into prostitution, then the company and the fun then… yeah, the awesome sex in the taxi. And in the hallway on the way to her bedroom. And in her bedroom.

He was flipping the first two pancakes in the pan when he started wondering if there was even a fourth time, hidden in the hazed memories of the night before. He tried to probe his memory a little harder, there was much that was blurred but pretty much every memory was there. Not in the details, but the important stuff was there and there wasn't a fourth time. No, definitely no. No round four.

_Thank the Force… _he thought to himself as he placed the pancakes in two plates and retrieved two mugs. In the same closet he found sugar and a small container for the milk. He didn't know how she drank it, so he added everything he could find that a person could put into a cup of coffee and before he could realize it, he was using the Force to pour the liquid in the cups.

One last task: finding a tray. That would be tricky. He looked around but could find nothing, and rummaging through her kitchen closets would make too much noise. He had to act quickly or everything would go cold and the surprise would be sort of ruined. He decided for two trips, one to lay his plate and mug on the table then went back and did the same with her plate and mug. Trying to be as sneaky as possible, he set them on the table and sat down beside her.

She was cute when she slept, completely abandoned to oblivion, wrapped in her expensive sheets and the thick comforter, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a tattoo on her right hip, a bit of a masterpiece, he had to say. She was beautiful even in that dishelved state.

Smiling, he moved a lock away from her face and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Wake up Wild Girl, breakfast's ready…" he whispered in her ear, before sitting up straight again.

He watched as her faces scrunched a couple of times before her eyes opened, hazed and a tad confused to see someone in the room when she was used to wake up alone. But as the memories of the night before flooded back and formed a chronological flow, she recognized the man she had willingly brought home, tall and smiling, wearing only his boxers, she noticed almost instantly. With a certain pleasure. "Hey Inquisitor, good morning!"

"Good morning to you, I hope you don't mind but I managed to make breakfast from the little you had in your fridge." he said, helping her sitting up.

Jane vigorously rubbed her eyes and when she opened them again found the steaming cup of coffee in front of her. "I've got milk and sugar ready if you want them."

She was impressed, to say the least. She knew Ferus Olin was an interesting man, not only he was definitely handsome, well educated and had charm, he also knew how to impress women. Breakfast in bed after a drunk hook up? If she had told her friends about it, they would have all gone crazy and would have never believed her. Not to mention her sister. No way, she would have never believed that a guy she had sex with the same night she had met him had brought her breakfast in bed.

Pancakes to be precise.

The perfect way to say "thank you".

"So, how do you drink it?"

"Oh, sorry… ahem, milk, no sugar. Oh my god, you even know how to make pancakes?"

While adding the milk to her cup, Ferus nodded. "Yep. I was tired of the already prepared mix I found in stores so I started making them myself. I'm not much of a cook, but I can do some stuff all by myself."

"And for some odd reasons, I think it's hot." she mumbled, taking a sip of her coffee. "Wow, you really know how to make coffee too!"

"Surviving on that thing helps knowing how to make it. You OK?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just a bit hung-over, I'll be fine in a couple of hours. You?"

"Me too, and I think I drunk half of the water supply of the building, but fine." he replied, digging his fork in his breakfast. "And hungry too. Like 'em?"

Again, she nodded, chewing and savoring her food. "Yeah, I just wish I bought some syrup last time I went shopping."

"Actually, I do prefer chocolate chip pancakes, but you didn't have them either so… good ol' jelly. By the way you've…" he laid the fork on the plate and wiped a drop of jelly away from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "There, it's gone."

They spent a moment just looking at each other and enjoying their breakfast, before Jane broke the silence. "Thank you."

Ferus frowned. "For what?"

She waived her fork around. "For this, for helping us catch the pimp, for… well, for the night…"

He shrugged his shoulders. "No need to thank me. At least not for the pancakes, and definitely not for the police operation. If you want to thank me for the night, then allow me to invite you out. For dinner. A nice place, just you and me."

She bit her lip, weighting his proposal. It sounded like a date. It sounded _a lot_ like a date. And she had just been dumped by her boyfriend, who ditched her for a med student like a week earlier, and embarking on another relationship wasn't exactly in her near future.

Or so she thought.

Ferus had something that attracted her, like a magnet. Something weird, something she couldn't read and understand. Like a moth to the light, she felt compelled towards him, and it wasn't only the ludicrous amount of alcohol that had flowed in her bloodstream the night before. She was sober now, and that feeling was still there, nudging her onward towards him.

"Look Ferus I don't…" his eyes darkened and she immediately tried to correct herself. "It's not like… Well, I had a boyfriend and he dumped me just the other day so…"

"You don't want to…"

She shook her head "No. It's not that I don't want. It's just that my job is hectic and stressful, and that other guy couldn't handle it. I don't want my job to be the cause of a possible break up, I wouldn't stand it."

He chuckled and set his now empty plate down on the floor and smiled. "Jane, you're talking to an Inquisitor, weird work hours and stress come with the job, don't you think I already thought about it before I asked you out? Listen, I like you. A lot. And I don't really like the thought of remembering you as just a drunk hook up I met in a bar and had sex with in a cab on the way to her home and then in the morning it's all over. I don't work like that. I know things about you, I know that you keep your gun close at night and how you drink your coffee. I know you have a sister and that your father is rich, and I know you want to become a homicide detective, yeah, but I want to know about Jane. The girl that likes pancakes but barely has the ingredients to make them in her fridge, about the girl with an extensive collection of books and a job that should rarely allow her to read them, about the girl that can pull off a fashion model look even if she's been in the Police Ranks for five years. Can at least have this honor?"

She sighed, hiding behind her mug. He did have a way with words, and it wasn't plain and simple drunkness, as he had stated the other night. And such a heartfelt declaration could not be ignored.

She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Alright. I'll go out with you. But that doesn't mean we're an item."

He nodded. "Fair enough. Now… I was thinking… Now that we've eaten something and replenished our electrolytes, why don't we test the resilience of your bed?"

Jane put her cup on the bedside table and folded her arms across her chest, holding the bed sheets up in mock up modesty. "I thought we'd already tested it some hours ago."

"Yeah, but I'd like to be sure. You never know how safe you are in your own home, I mean, most fatal accidents happen at home so… I'd really like to be sure this structure is stable and safe." he moved towards her, so close she could feel his breath on her skin, hot and fast, right before he kissed her. The first sober kiss they had. It felt like the first time. And when he pulled her towards him with his arms around her waist, gently laying her down on the mattress, she had the certainty that going out with him would be a great idea.

The next hour was simply an additional, redundant confirm. A blissful confirm.

That man went all the way through her heart and back, leaving no trace of pain or hurt behind and instead bringing a deep feeling of happiness she hadn't felt in a while.

It was like it radiated from him.

For a moment, as they lay silently in her bed, sheets tangled around them in a sweaty heap that stuck to their glistening skin, looking at each other, she wondered if it was the Force people used to talk about, the famous Force everyone talked about when speaking of the Jedi.

Or maybe she was falling in love, a completely different set of feelings, something she had never truly experienced, and she couldn't tell for sure.

She found herself wondering, sometime in the post-coital bliss she had been thrown after the fourth round, curled up against Ferus' side as he held her close to him, if he was going through the same list of questions. He didn't look so thoughtful, at first, but with a closer inspection, she noticed he wasn't completely relaxed, even though his body showed some signs of fatigue. His fingers were running lazy patterns on her shoulder, sometimes twisting her hair, softly, and he looked calm and peaceful, but deep down, her detective-in-training eye caught some signs of distress.

"You OK?"

"Yeah, just tired. Told you, I'm not used to this kind of workout early in the morning." he sighed. "But I could…"

"Hold your swoop bike Ferus, remember what I told you." she laughed, partially hiding in the crook of his neck. She took a deep breath, inhaling his strong scent. Maybe too strong. All the prolungated "excercise" had him definitely in need of a shower, and her too. Fast. "Hey, I don't want to sound rude but… mind if we make our way to the shower?"

She felt his lips on the crown of her head, curved up in a smile. "I was going to propose it myself. Remember, I asked you if I could use it in the morning!"

"Then come with me. We can save water and time if we shower together." Then she got out of the bed, as fast as lightening, leaving Ferus with a bunch of wet sheets barely covering him and a dumb expression on his face. Not that he didn't appreciate the magnificent view of her naked slender figure, but her speed surprised him.

Groaning a little, he sat on the bed and then stood, stretching his back as he followed her. He could hear the water already running in the shower before he entered the large bathroom, and he found Jane rummaging in a closet and pull out a clean towel for him, which she laid beside the sink, before pulling a grey, fluffy bathrobe from a hanger by the shower and putting it down near the towel. "I don't have a robe that would fit you, I hope you're ok with a towel." She said checking if the water was warm enough.

"You're too kind Jane. Of course it's ok."

She slipped under the stream and held a hand out for him. "No Ferus, you are the kind one. Making me breakfast and everything. Now come here."

Needless to say, the shower was just like the rest of the apartment: it was a state-of-the-art convertible tub with all those little things money could by, from jet streams to chromo therapy, enough space for a whole family with kids included and everything else. The perks of being rich. He smirked at the thought of his own cramped apartment and even smaller bathroom, with space enough only for the toilet, the sink and a really really tiny and basic shower.

She must have noticed the weird look on his face. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I just like this place. It's classy, but it doesn't goes beyond the line with luxury. You did a good job with it." and then she pulled him under the stream, soaking him.

"Thank you." she simply replied. "It's easier to keep clean."

"So I thought." He reached behind her and grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the shelf behind her, then with a gentle tug, he pulled her towards him. "Can I?"

A quick nod, and he had already his fingers through her hear, working the shampoo until her head was covered with a thick layer of foam. His fingers traced ghost patterns on her scalp, as if looking for kinks and knots to massage. A moment of this treatment and she was groaning her appreciation, and he smiled when she arched her neck into his hands and nearly abandoned herself to him.

"Turn around." he whispered in her ear, and she willingly complied. Another tug and she was under the shower spray and the suds were being washed away from her, slipping on her tanned skin and down the drain. Ferus had to concentate to restrain his lowest instincts. _You two just had sex for fuck's sake, you can't get another one!_ he thought to himself. "Could you hand me the shower gel?"

Jane let out a sigh, not exactly happy to get back to reality while he was working his wonders on her, in a no-sexual way, but she complied and handed him the bottle. Half a moment later, his hands were on her neck, working wonders on the tight tendons and muscles, helped by the slickness of the soap. And the only coherent thought she could form was that maybe giving that relationship a chance might not be a bad idea. She had a taste of a great sex life that night, now she was having a taste of what the most caring man on the planet could probably do. Let her sleep till late, got her breakfast in bed and now this. _Wow, he's good even at this. If he keeps going on like this I don't know how long I will resist_. She thought as his hand decended down her back, between her shoulderblades and then rested on her hips, his thumbs still kneading the soft flesh in a much more tender way.

Jane gasped when he pulled her under the shower spray and felt his lips on her neck, his tongue on her skin warmer than the water cascading on them as his arms sneaked around her and pulled her flush against him. She let her head fall on his shoulder and turned to kiss him, a long, sweet, passionate kiss that took her breath away.

"Do we have time for round five?" she whispered against his lips.

"The right question is: do we have the strenght for round five?" he replied, his tone as hushes as hers, so much she had to concentrate to hear his voice over the running water.

"As long as you allow me to order in lunch, I have plenty of strenght for round five."

And he was happy to comply.

Much like their first time in the taxi, less than eight hours earlier, it was rough and fast, no hint of foreply and a certain degree of violence that drove Jane against the tiled wall hard enough she was sore in the end and by evening she noticed even some bruises where Ferus had grasped her thighs and back. Fortunately easy spots to hide so no turtlenecks and no concealer.

When she regained enough consciousness to stand up on her own again, she chuckled when Ferus had to keep leaning on the wall in front of him with both hands to remain up and not fall down on the floor of the shower. He was breathing heavily and kept his eyes closed, while she finished her shower. "I'll leave you a minute to recollect yourself." she said, opening the door and getting out of the stall. "I didn't realise you were so drained."

He groaned and stretched his neck, hoping the hot water would release some of the knots in his own neck. The effort of keeping them up and not slip bad enough to hurt someone had caused some tension in his back. "We're not designed for five rounds in seven hours Jane, please, cut me some slack. How the hell can you still stand up?"

"I was wondering myself. Hey, take your time in there, I'll order something for lunch. Any preference?"

He shook his head. "Nothing in particular. Just don't get anything fried for me. I'm still a bit hungover and my stomach wouldn't take it."

"As you wish." and with that she was out of the bathroom, wrapped in her white fluffy robe, and left him there alone to collect his bearings and finish his own shower routine. He glanced at the shelf beside him and grabbed the first bottle he found, poured a dollop in his hand and quickly scrubbed himself off, then rinsed the suds off his skin and turned off the water. They were lucky enough the building had a huge water reserve because they had stayed there for like half an hour with the water always running.

When he felt calm enough, he turned off the spray and opened the door. The towel was where Jane had left it so he grabbed it and began to scrub himself dry. When he wasn't dripping anymore, he wrapped it around his waist and walked towards the kitchen, thanking his choice to cut his hair a lot shorter than usual last time he visited the barber shop. It was a little wet, but he wouldn't mess up the otherwise perfectly clean apartment when he walked towards the kitchen to join Jane.

He was lazily stretching in the hallway when he heard the front door unlock. "Hey Jane were you…"

The door opened and a woman, roughly ten years older than Jane, burst inside blabbling about a shopping spree and how long she had waited to take her little sister out for lunch, the stopped abruptly when she noticed Ferus standing in the hallway, buck naked except for the tiny piece of cloth hanging at his waist. "And you are…"

"Ehm…" he mumbled, totally awkward and out of place. "I…"

Then Jane poked her head from the door of the kitchen and gasped in horror. "Lena! What are you doing here?"

The newly arrived woman rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hey little sis, have you forgot we've got a date?" she practically shrieked. "I mean, I can see here you've got a pretty decent reason to forget about it but we haven't seen each other in weeks!"

Jane ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "I know Lena, but… I'm kind of busy right now."

"I can see that! By the way, how rude of me, I'm Lena Kobb, Jane's big sister." she held her hand towards Ferus.

He took it and shook it. "Ferus Olin. Nice to meet you even if…"

"Oh don't worry, I'm enjoying the view here."

Jane sent her a scornful look that could have burned her to ashes if it was a laser. "Lena…"

"Oh don't be a prude Jane! He's cute! By the way what happened to Josh?"

He looked at Jane with a questioning look on his face. It was her turn to roll her eyes at him. Then he noticed how the two women looked alike, with the same scorned faces and the same deep green eyes. The hair color was different, but they were clearly sisters.

"Dumped me for his med school, happy now?" she revealed, clearly hurt by the question. Ferus made a mental to avoid the subject.

"Sorry little sis…" said Lena. "Right, since you're already in good company, I guess it's rain check for our sisterly shopping spree. Nevermind, I'll call you later today. You two have fun. See you next time. Goodbye Ferus, it was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, alright. See ya Lena."

When the door closed, Jane sighed, loudly, and ran her hands on her face. "My god that was awkward."

"Yeah, definitely. At least I wasn't naked." he mumbled.

She looked at him through her fingers, and he heard a chuckle. "I wouldn't want to go through something like that for any sum in the world."

"Then let's make sure it won't happen."


End file.
